Va remand ready for decision

Hello, I just got this E-mail from my regional office and was wondering how long does it take before my remand claim shows up on Va.gov?

Aug 20, 2019 · My remand is at the Regional Office in Winston-Salem, NC. I'm currently Rated at 80% and met all the requirements for TDIU. The remands were: Service connection, Hypertensive vascular disease. Increased rating, Migraines. Increased rating, Limitation of ankle motion. Service connection, Limitation of leg motion (flexion) The direct review docket, or direct docket, at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals applies to claimants who do not want to submit additional evidence to the Board, and do not want a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge. In this docket, the Board’s decision will be based on a review of the evidence of record at the time of the agency of original ...Review of the electronic file indicates your appeal was remanded by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) on January 11, 2019. The claim is currently listed as “ Ready For Decision ”. A Rating Specialist will initiate a decision based on the evidence of record.Hello, I just got this E-mail from my regional office and was wondering how long does it take before my remand claim shows up on Va.gov?Hello, I just got this E-mail from my regional office and was wondering how long does it take before my remand claim shows up on Va.gov?

Jan 14, 2019 · 82 Jan 14, 2019 #1 Morning all: Called Peggy last week and was told my NOD (filed 26 months ago) was complete with all information needed (last C&P exam 11 months ago)and was "Ready For Decision". Not sure what step this is in the appeals process. Specifically, the Board sends surveys to all Veterans to seek their feedback at three stages during the appeal: 1) When the appeal is first docketed at the Board; 2) Immediately after their hearings, if requested; and 3) After they receive the Board’s written decision on their appeals. You can also use this tool to check the status of a claim, decision review, or appeal for other benefits like these: VA health care. GI Bill or other education benefits. Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) A home loan Certificate of Eligibility (COE) A Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) or Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant. Life insurance.Dec 21, 2019 · A decision letter is a notification from the VA that grants or denies disability claims or appeals. Waiting to receive a decision letter can produce a lot of anxiety for a veteran. Sometimes years have gone by since a veteran started his or her claim and it all comes down to what the rating decision letter says. The TDIU timeline and process. All VA disability benefits claims, including TDIU claims, are processed at VA regional offices. Most veterans wait a few months for a decision on a claim. The current average wait time is 104.1 days. Once you file a claim for disability benefits or for VA unemployability, the VA begins the work of processing the ...The New Orleans Regional Office (RO) was severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina. We have temporarily transferred (``brokered'') work from this facility to other ROs with the capacity to process additional work to minimize the impact on veterans within that jurisdiction. The Pittsburgh RO was recently assigned jurisdiction of the overseas foreign workload. The processing of foreign claims takes ...

The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) provides judicial review of final decisions by the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board). The Court reviews the Board decision, the written record, and the briefs of the parties. A person who files an appeal at the Court is called an "appellant." An appellant appealing a Board decision is ...Hello, I just got this E-mail from my regional office and was wondering how long does it take before my remand claim shows up on Va.gov? 38 CFR 3.104 a decision of a duly constituted rating agency or other agency of original jurisdiction is final and binding on all field offices of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as to the conclusions made based on the evidence on file at the time VA issues written notification in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 5104.Overview. In this Section This section contains the following topics: Topic Topic Name See Page 33 Reviewing and Processing Decisions 5-G-2 34 Remanded Appeals 5-G-5 35 Developing, Reviewing, and Transferring Remanded Appeals 5-G-7 36 Exhibit 1: Notification Letter—Remanded Appeal Returned to BVA 5-G-12Aug 21, 2023 · If your decision notice shows at least a 10% disability rating, you’ll get your first payment within 15 days. The VA will make the payment either by direct deposit or check. If you do not get a payment after 15 days, you should contact the Veterans Helpline at 1-800-827-1000. After a remand from the Court, the Board is first required to wait 90 days to see if you want to add anything. You should have gotten a letter in the mail after the case returned to you saying that you had 90 days. That will tell you when the case could begin to move forward again.

Craigpercent27s lsit.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) provides judicial review of final decisions by the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board). The Court reviews the Board decision, the written record, and the briefs of the parties. A person who files an appeal at the Court is called an "appellant." An appellant appealing a Board decision is ...Once your hearing is completed the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) will issue a written decision. The length of time it will take to issue the decision depends on the individual Judge. In the Pensacola, Fl / Mobile, AL area, the time varies from just a couple weeks to over six months. The Judge’s decision will be one of the following:The appeals process: When an appeal is remanded - VA News. Appeals are remanded for many reasons...if there has been a change in law, a worsening of a disability on appeal, the Veteran introduces new evidence or theory of entitlement at the Board or if the regional office did not process your claim correctly.When you choose to appeal directly to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, you must file a Notice of Disagreement within one year from the date the VA sent you the original decision. You can use VA Form 10182 to file a Notice of Disagreement. If you file a Notice of Disagreement, you have one year from the date the VA sends the decision to ...If your decision notice shows at least a 10% disability rating, you’ll get your first payment within 15 days. The VA will make the payment either by direct deposit or check. If you do not get a payment after 15 days, you should contact the Veterans Helpline at 1-800-827-1000.By law, the Board must generally decide appeals in the order they are docketed (initially filed) with the Board, except for those cases advanced on the docket for extenuating circumstances set out in statute or cases returned to the Board for expedited processing after remand.

[House Hearing, 114 Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] VETERANS' DILEMMA: NAVIGATING THE APPEALS SYSTEM FOR VETERANS CLAIMS ===== HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION _____ THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015 _____ Serial No. 114 ...Fredrick B. Norfleet appeals from the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (“the Veterans Court”) that set aside and remanded part of a Board of Veterans’ Appeals (“the Board”) decision de-that nied service connection for sleep apnea and dismissed the remainder of the appeal. Norfleet v. McDonough, No. 20-After a remand from the Court, the Board is first required to wait 90 days to see if you want to add anything. You should have gotten a letter in the mail after the case returned to you saying that you had 90 days. That will tell you when the case could begin to move forward again.Jul 20, 2020 · Once your hearing is completed the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) will issue a written decision. The length of time it will take to issue the decision depends on the individual Judge. In the Pensacola, Fl / Mobile, AL area, the time varies from just a couple weeks to over six months. The Judge’s decision will be one of the following: Hello, I just got this E-mail from my regional office and was wondering how long does it take before my remand claim shows up on Va.gov?Apr 24, 2023 · Home Resources and support What your decision review or appeal status means What your decision review or appeal status means Your status tells you where your claim is in the decision review or appeal process. Find your type of decision review or appeal below to learn what your status means. Check your VA claim status A “remand” is a legal term that describes the process in which a superior court remands – or sends back – an appeal to a lower court for another look. In a typical system, a higher court usually remands a case when a lower court interprets a law incorrectly. In VA’s system, appeals are remanded for many reasons.Law. a. To send back to custody. b. To send back (a case) to a lower court with instructions about further proceedings. This gives a whole new meaning to the term “transitive verb”. A remand can only originate from a higher tribunal or Court. The Regional Office is the lowest rung as most know. Here they make the decision.Upon review of the C&P exam report and all of the other information in your claims file, you should receive a Notice of Decision on your disability claim. The VA currently claims an average time of 149.4 days (around five months, in case you don’t have a calculator handy) from claim filing to decision, but it often takes longer than that.Causes of Remanded Appeals. “Remand” is a legal term that means a superior court is sending an appeal back to a lower court for another look. A remand means that the BVA is sending your case back to the regional VA office for additional development. With your appeal as presented, the BVA believes it cannot make a full or fair determination.

Then the BVA will notify you in writing when it receives your file. Until your file is transferred to the board, your local VA regional office is the best place to get information about your appeal. If your file is at the board, you can call 202-565-5436 to check on its status. It may take several years before your docket number finally comes ...

After a remand from the Court, the Board is first required to wait 90 days to see if you want to add anything. You should have gotten a letter in the mail after the case returned to you saying that you had 90 days. That will tell you when the case could begin to move forward again.The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) provides judicial review of final decisions by the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board). The Court reviews the Board decision, the written record, and the briefs of the parties. A person who files an appeal at the Court is called an "appellant." An appellant appealing a Board decision is ... You can also use this tool to check the status of a claim, decision review, or appeal for other benefits like these: VA health care. GI Bill or other education benefits. Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) A home loan Certificate of Eligibility (COE) A Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) or Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant. Life insurance.Once a VA office issues its decision on your claim, you have one year from that date to file an appeal. Read the decision letter closely: it will tell you why VA made the decision it did.Sep 21, 2020 · Lastly, it speaks volumes that 67.39% of pro se Vets can actually articulate their appeals coherently and succeed. What we cannot see is a statistical breakdown of claims by percentage. It’s one thing to win 0%-10% for tinnitus at the BVA. It’s quite another to get an R1 or R2. Once a VA office issues its decision on your claim, you have one year from that date to file an appeal. Read the decision letter closely: it will tell you why VA made the decision it did. The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) provides judicial review of final decisions by the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board). The Court reviews the Board decision, the written record, and the briefs of the parties. A person who files an appeal at the Court is called an "appellant." An appellant appealing a Board decision is ... Jun 23, 2014 · The reports below contain data covering claims inventory, claims backlog, claims accuracy, and fully developed claims. VBA employees are completing more compensation claims than ever before, resulting in Veterans and survivors receiving over $128 billion in disability compensation and pension benefits in 2022, including nearly $10 billion in ... Jul 22, 2022 · Review the files for your claim. Click on the Files tab. You can see if there are any forms or documents we still need from you. You can also review the forms and documents we already have. And if you have additional evidence to support your claim, click the Add Files button to select files to upload.

Gannipercent27s pizzeria.

I 70 road conditions colorado today.

Jun 8, 2023 · If a veteran receives a favorable Compensation and Pension (C&P) exam but their claim is still denied, there are several steps they can take to address the situation: Request a Copy of the Decision: The first step is to request a copy of the decision letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This letter will outline the reasons for ... Some hearing offices say it will take approximately six weeks to receive a decision, but some judges tell claimants they try to have the decision out in 30 days. In a survey we did of readers who had been to an appeal hearing, the average wait time for a decision was eight weeks, though 40% of readers received a decision letter within four weeks.You can also use this tool to check the status of a claim, decision review, or appeal for other benefits like these: VA health care. GI Bill or other education benefits. Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) A home loan Certificate of Eligibility (COE) A Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) or Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant. Life insurance.The Decision Ready Claim (DRC) Program is the fastest way to get your VA claim processed. With the DRC Program, you can get a decision on your claim within 30 days by working with an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO). Your claim is considered “decision-ready” if you provide all relevant medical records and14 May 20 - IRIS answer on my Remand: BVA has ordered additional action is needed for your Appeal before making a Final Decision. Remanded in July 2018, had DBQ in March 2019, anyone know possible reasons to go from Ready For Decision to Additional Action needed? Snorvell. 257 109.The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) provides judicial review of final decisions by the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board). The Court reviews the Board decision, the written record, and the briefs of the parties. A person who files an appeal at the Court is called an "appellant." An appellant appealing a Board decision is ...BVA award 3 Grant's (lower back had original C&P in 2014) and 1 remand back on 6 Sept 2018. Had a C&P on 9 Nov for the grant in Gainesville, FL. Still waiting on out come of this, RO is St. Pete's and noted as a hardship too. On Vet.gov it says that grant should take 1-2 months.Causes of Remanded Appeals. “Remand” is a legal term that means a superior court is sending an appeal back to a lower court for another look. A remand means that the BVA is sending your case back to the regional VA office for additional development. With your appeal as presented, the BVA believes it cannot make a full or fair determination.Apr 14, 2014 #2. First, welcome to VBN and thank you for your service. It can take as little as three weeks to receive a decision or could take months. It's impossible to predict. By all means start making appointments for the treatment you need. You can be treated before a claim is even filed or even if it's denied.Original Legacy Appeals ADP: The average days pending for original appeals is calculated from the date the appeal is certified to the Board by the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) and any given date for appeals currently awaiting a Board decision. Post Remand Legacy Appeals ADP: The average days pending for returned remand appeals is ...Once a VA office issues its decision on your claim, you have one year from that date to file an appeal. Read the decision letter closely: it will tell you why VA made the decision it did. Feb 25, 2023 · Some hearing offices say it will take approximately six weeks to receive a decision, but some judges tell claimants they try to have the decision out in 30 days. In a survey we did of readers who had been to an appeal hearing, the average wait time for a decision was eight weeks, though 40% of readers received a decision letter within four weeks. ….

Remand Status "NWQ". The Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) remanded your appeal on December 6, 2018. XXX, your remanded appeal is with the Veterans Benefits Administration, which will take action in accordance with the remand directives. Your claim is in development and is currently in Queue awaiting the next available adjudicator.Specifically, the Board sends surveys to all Veterans to seek their feedback at three stages during the appeal: 1) When the appeal is first docketed at the Board; 2) Immediately after their hearings, if requested; and 3) After they receive the Board’s written decision on their appeals. When you choose to appeal directly to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, you must file a Notice of Disagreement within one year from the date the VA sent you the original decision. You can use VA Form 10182 to file a Notice of Disagreement. If you file a Notice of Disagreement, you have one year from the date the VA sends the decision to ...Apr 14, 2014 #2. First, welcome to VBN and thank you for your service. It can take as little as three weeks to receive a decision or could take months. It's impossible to predict. By all means start making appointments for the treatment you need. You can be treated before a claim is even filed or even if it's denied.VA Decision. Your representative will recommend a choice for your claim based on the available files. Your application could be sent back to the previous stage for further investigation. If not, the recommendation decision becomes re-reviewed, and a final decision is made. Once the final decision becomes decided upon, your award packet will be ...When a case is remanded by the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC), it goes back to the BVA. The CAVC closes the case, and you wait for the BVA to issue a new decision. However, if you disagree with the new BVA decision, you still have the right to appeal to the CAVC a second time. How an Attorney Can Help Initially, VA estimated veterans could wait from 3-5 years for a hearing under AMA. However, the number of hearings VA held in 2019 is up 38 percent from the previous year, which is a good sign for veterans. Moreover, the Board has already sent out over 100,000 decisions in Fiscal Year 2020, which indicates that appeals are being worked through ...Your appeal was remanded by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Court Remand appeals are prioritized so that they’re always at the front of the line. Your appeal will be sent to a judge as soon as it’s ready for their review.The week before the BVA hearing, set aside 20 minutes a day to practice what you want to tell the BVA’s Hearing Officer. Stand in front of a mirror, and deliver your presentation while looking yourself in the eye. This exercise – once a day for 2 weeks before a hearing – will change the way you present your case at hearing, for the better.Aug 20, 2019 · My remand is at the Regional Office in Winston-Salem, NC. I'm currently Rated at 80% and met all the requirements for TDIU. The remands were: Service connection, Hypertensive vascular disease. Increased rating, Migraines. Increased rating, Limitation of ankle motion. Service connection, Limitation of leg motion (flexion) Va remand ready for decision, You’ll need to send a written request to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals providing good cause to reschedule your hearing at least 2 weeks before your hearing. Include your name, the VA file number for your appeal, and the reason why you need a new hearing date. Send your written request to the Board. Use the address or fax number listed below. , Hello, I just got this E-mail from my regional office and was wondering how long does it take before my remand claim shows up on Va.gov?, Here is a brief timeline of my disability claim thus far: 12/07/21: Submitted my Disability Compensation Claim on VA.gov (Form 21-526EZ) 12/07/21: Initial review complete. 12/08/21: Moved to Evidence Gathering, review, and decision. 12/09/21: Contacted by QTC to schedule multiple C&P exams. 12/15/21: Final C&P complete (total of 5 exams) 01/03 ... , The New Orleans Regional Office (RO) was severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina. We have temporarily transferred (``brokered'') work from this facility to other ROs with the capacity to process additional work to minimize the impact on veterans within that jurisdiction. The Pittsburgh RO was recently assigned jurisdiction of the overseas foreign workload. The processing of foreign claims takes ..., Jun 29, 2022 · When you choose to appeal directly to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, you must file a Notice of Disagreement within one year from the date the VA sent you the original decision. You can use VA Form 10182 to file a Notice of Disagreement. If you file a Notice of Disagreement, you have one year from the date the VA sends the decision to ... , A. Substantive Aspects of Veterans Law 1. Timeframe The differences between veterans law and other areas of law are fundamental. The most common type of veterans benefits claim is a claim 115 11 In fiscal year 2006, 654,000 of the 806,000 claims received by VA were claims for compensation. INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES, A 21ST , When you choose to appeal directly to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, you must file a Notice of Disagreement within one year from the date the VA sent you the original decision. You can use VA Form 10182 to file a Notice of Disagreement. If you file a Notice of Disagreement, you have one year from the date the VA sends the decision to ..., On July 28, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) by Executive Order 6230, Veterans Regulation No. 2 (a). The Board was delegated the authority to render the final decisions on appeal for the Administrator (now Secretary) and was directly responsible to the Administrator (Secretary). , If not, your appeal will return to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals for a new decision. 16–29 monthsThe Veterans Benefits Administration usually takes between 16 and 29 months to complete remand instructions. How long until a judge is ready for your appeal? The Board of Veterans’ Appeals reviews cases in the order they’re received., Here is a brief timeline of my disability claim thus far: 12/07/21: Submitted my Disability Compensation Claim on VA.gov (Form 21-526EZ) 12/07/21: Initial review complete. 12/08/21: Moved to Evidence Gathering, review, and decision. 12/09/21: Contacted by QTC to schedule multiple C&P exams. 12/15/21: Final C&P complete (total of 5 exams) 01/03 ..., Deny: The judge agrees with the original decision. Remand: The judge sends the issue back to the Veterans Benefits Administration to gather more evidence or to fix a mistake before deciding whether to grant or deny. Note: About 60% of all cases have at least 1 issue remanded. How long until a judge is ready for your appeal? , Hello, I just got this E-mail from my regional office and was wondering how long does it take before my remand claim shows up on Va.gov?, Hello, I just got this E-mail from my regional office and was wondering how long does it take before my remand claim shows up on Va.gov? , The TDIU timeline and process. All VA disability benefits claims, including TDIU claims, are processed at VA regional offices. Most veterans wait a few months for a decision on a claim. The current average wait time is 104.1 days. Once you file a claim for disability benefits or for VA unemployability, the VA begins the work of processing the ..., Jan 12, 2016 · Well, in my experience, the same can be said of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. Historically, between 75% and 80% of Board of Veterans’ Appeals decisions appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) are vacated, reversed, remanded or referred back to the BVA to fix its mistakes. , In its standard legal definition, a remand occurs when a higher court decides to send a case back to a lower court for review or further adjudicative action. In the VA disability adjudication system, the Board can remand – or send back – a case to the regional office for several reasons, including: The veteran’s condition has worsened ..., phone to provide the status of the decision and subsequent award action. • On February 9, 2019, an award action was completed to release retroactive payment to the veteran. • On June 24, 2019, the remanded claim was made ready for decision. On this date, there were 626 remands that were older and required decisions prior to this remand., Veterans stuck in the old, legacy appeals process now have two new paths to transfer their appeals into the AMA Decision Review Process. , Apr 24, 2023 · Home Resources and support What your decision review or appeal status means What your decision review or appeal status means Your status tells you where your claim is in the decision review or appeal process. Find your type of decision review or appeal below to learn what your status means. Check your VA claim status , Following an unfavorable BVA final decision, an appellant may file an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) within 120 days of the date of the BVA decision. This appeal must be sent directly to the court, NOT to BVA or to any VA office. The time limit for filing may not be extended or waived., Dec 24, 2018 · The direct review docket, or direct docket, at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals applies to claimants who do not want to submit additional evidence to the Board, and do not want a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge. In this docket, the Board’s decision will be based on a review of the evidence of record at the time of the agency of original ... , Review the files for your claim. Click on the Files tab. You can see if there are any forms or documents we still need from you. You can also review the forms and documents we already have. And if you have additional evidence to support your claim, click the Add Files button to select files to upload., Specifically, the Board sends surveys to all Veterans to seek their feedback at three stages during the appeal: 1) When the appeal is first docketed at the Board; 2) Immediately after their hearings, if requested; and 3) After they receive the Board’s written decision on their appeals. , A decision letter is a notification from the VA that grants or denies disability claims or appeals. Waiting to receive a decision letter can produce a lot of anxiety for a veteran. Sometimes years have gone by since a veteran started his or her claim and it all comes down to what the rating decision letter says., Once your hearing is completed the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) will issue a written decision. The length of time it will take to issue the decision depends on the individual Judge. In the Pensacola, Fl / Mobile, AL area, the time varies from just a couple weeks to over six months. The Judge’s decision will be one of the following:, Deny: The judge agrees with the original decision. Remand: The judge sends the issue back to the Veterans Benefits Administration to gather more evidence or to fix a mistake before deciding whether to grant or deny. Note: About 60% of all cases have at least 1 issue remanded., Administrator. Nov 20, 2017 #13. What is supposed to happen when an appeal is on remand, is that the RO gets the information requested and then readjudicated. Any items that can be granted at that time are supposed to be granted. At that point the file is then sent back to the BVA. As far as who to call., Specifically, the Board sends surveys to all Veterans to seek their feedback at three stages during the appeal: 1) When the appeal is first docketed at the Board; 2) Immediately after their hearings, if requested; and 3) After they receive the Board’s written decision on their appeals., Here is a brief timeline of my disability claim thus far: 12/07/21: Submitted my Disability Compensation Claim on VA.gov (Form 21-526EZ) 12/07/21: Initial review complete. 12/08/21: Moved to Evidence Gathering, review, and decision. 12/09/21: Contacted by QTC to schedule multiple C&P exams. 12/15/21: Final C&P complete (total of 5 exams) 01/03 ..., Original Legacy Appeals ADP: The average days pending for original appeals is calculated from the date the appeal is certified to the Board by the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) and any given date for appeals currently awaiting a Board decision. Post Remand Legacy Appeals ADP: The average days pending for returned remand appeals is ..., Apr 14, 2014 · Apr 14, 2014 #2. First, welcome to VBN and thank you for your service. It can take as little as three weeks to receive a decision or could take months. It's impossible to predict. By all means start making appointments for the treatment you need. You can be treated before a claim is even filed or even if it's denied. , If you choose to waive initial review by the local VA office, you must submit a statement to this effect in writing with the evidence to the Board by mail, fax or while on the record at a Board hearing, if you have one. By Mail: Board of Veterans' Appeals. P.O. Box 27063. Washington, DC 20038. By Fax: 844-678-8979 (Toll Free) 8., Length of Process. The timeline for how long the VA will take in preparation for your decision depends on the type of claim you filed, the complexity of your disability, the number of disabilities you claimed, and the availability of your medical records during the claims process (see eight steps above). During the preparation for decision, the ...